


Mirror, Mirror In The Cave (What Remains For Us To Save?)

by violasarecool



Series: What Can 8 Grey Wardens Do? [4]
Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Dalish Origin, Gen, Grey Warden Joining, Nonbinary Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-13 13:13:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5709469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violasarecool/pseuds/violasarecool
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merle, an Orlais Warden originally from Ferelden, stops by to visit their former clan while on Grey Warden business. what they didn't expect was for their visit to involve a strange mirror and darkspawn taint.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Merle is an agender mage (they/them), Kit a nonbinary rogue (they/them, she/her); they're cousins
> 
> this takes place in the same universe as my playthrough with Quentin, so as Duncan is off recruiting Quentin at the Circle rn, Merle takes the somewhat modified place of Duncan in Kit's Dalish origin
> 
> warning for brief mention of blood bc of Joining

It was reaching midday, and Merle was deep in the Brecilian forest, green as far as they could see. They couldn't even see any distinguishable landmarks; if they had to turn back now, they weren't sure they could find their way back _out_ of the forest. _Burn that bridge when you get to it,_ they told themself. It was very different from the crowded streets of Orlais; the only experience they had with foliage this dense was the fading memories of a childhood spent weaving in and out of trees, training with the very clan they were now seeking out. It was perhaps selfish to take time from their Grey Warden duties to visit, but the forest wasn't _too_ far from Denerim, and it had been over ten years since they'd seen their former clan. And when they'd heard from a couple of humans about an elf clan nearby, they _had_ to see if it was the Sabrae.

Merle crossed a wooden bridge, and made their way up a small hill to see if they could get a higher viewpoint. As they reached the top, they heard a rustling, then a crack. They stopped, looking around cautiously.

A dark skinned elf sprang out from behind a tree, bow aimed at Merle. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" they demanded. Behind them, another elf emerged, staff at the ready.

"Kit?" Merle asked, staring at the first elf, at the two curled brackets tattooed on their chin. They glanced at the other, at the intricate lines curling around her cheekbones and forehead. "Merrill?"

The first elf tossed their mop of dark hair out of their face, squinted at them. "Merle?" Merle grinned. "Merle!" they shrieked, and tossed their bow aside, then bowled into Merle, knocking them both over. "What are you doing here?" Kit exclaimed, pinning Merle to the ground, "how did you find us, how long have you been here, _why didn't you say you were coming??"_

"I didn't have time, or I would have told you, I swear," Merle protested, laughing.

Kit shook their head. "Excuses, excuses. How did you think you were going to find us? Find me? I barely recognized you without your poofy hair." They ran a hand over Merle's cornrows, over their cheekbones and jaw. "You look so _old._ "

"You don't look that different," Merle said, and Kit groaned.

"I knowww, everyone says I still look like a child."

"Okay, but how _did_ you find us?" Merrill asked, walking closer.

Merle pushed Kit off, and sat up. "I asked around a nearby town, some humans said they ran into a pair of elves near here."

Merrill made a face at Kit, who wrinkled their nose. "That's my fault," Kit said. "Stupid shemlen, wandering out in _our_ forest. But we only killed one of them, just to make a point!"

"Wasn't a very good idea to kill _any_ of them," Merrill said, shaking her head. "They'll only get mad at us. And it's not our forest anymore," Merrill said, "not that it ever really was."

"We're not leaving until we find Tamlen!" Kit shot, jumping to their feet.

"What happened to Tamlen?" Merle asked warily, as Kit grabbed their bow.

"I don't know," Kit murmured, playing with the bowstring. "We were exploring this cave, it looked like human ruins? But with elf stuff too? And we were attacked by skeletons, and this weird beast, and there was a mirror, and Tamlen touched it, and there was a flash of light, and I blacked out. The Keeper said I was alone when they found me."

Merle frowned. "Skeletons?"

"Skeletons," Kit said. "Like, walking bones, by magic, probably."

"And the 'beast'?"

Kit wrinkled their nose. "It... was a mammal? I think??" Merle snorted. "I don't know, it was weird," Kit said defensively. "We're going back there now, you can look at the body if nothing's disturbed it." They glanced at Merle. "Uh, unless you had like actual business to take care of, Grey Warden stuff or whatever."

Merle shook their head. "Nothing urgent. I can go with you, help look for your friend."

"Thank you," Kit beamed, throwing their arms around Merle. "We'll be twice as safe with a _Grey Warden_ with us," Kit teased, bopping them on the nose.

"We'll be safer if we get in and out of there _quickly_ ," Merrill said. "Come on, you two, let's get going, Tamlen is counting on us."

Merle climbed to their feet. "Nice to see you too," they said, shooting her a smile that Merrill quickly returned.

"You haven't changed at all," she said.

* * *

Inside the cave, Merle's dubious expression at the musty interior quickly turned to wonder. "The architecture... Look at the carvings! I wonder how old this is?"

Beside them, Merrill trailed a hand down an arched doorway. "Looks like it was built by humans, though. I thought you said this belonged to our people?"

"Well, I don't know," Kit admitted, "but there's a weird statue further in," Kit said, "Tamlen said it was an elven statue to honour the Creators."

Merrill raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

They nodded. "Come on."

As they progressed further in, they passed several piles of bones. "Those were the skeletons we fought."

"Maybe it was a spell triggered by a trap of some sort," Merle said, picking up a bone.

"I didn't _see_ any traps," Kit said uncertainly.

Merrill waved a hand above the piles, but nothing happened. "Well, whatever animated them before, there's no magic in them now."

They paused in front of the statue, but Merle's attention was quickly caught by the glowing mirror in the next room. "What's that?"

Kit whipped around. "Don't touch it!"

Merle stopped in the doorway. "Why? Did one of you touch it?"

"Tamlen did."

Merle covered their mouth. "Oh, Kit." Their hand dropped, and they walked toward the mirror.

Kit ran after them."What do you mean, _oh, Kit?"_ Merle peered at the inscription on the mirror, glanced over its shimmering surface. "What's the deal with the mirror?" Kit demanded.

"You _never_ touch a strange object, especially if it's obviously magical," Merle admonished.

"I know, but―"

"Merrill, stay back," Merle said, as Merrill approached behind them.

"What is it?" she asked, stopping.

Merle dug in their robes. "This mirror, it's transmitting darkspawn taint."

"What? What does that mean?" Kit demanded, watching as Merle pulled out a dagger.

"It's poison," they said grimly. "If Tamlen touched the mirror, I'm sorry, but he's not coming back."

Kit shook their head. "How do you know that? The Keeper healed me, maybe he's still alive. We didn't even find a body!"

Merle swallowed. "It's not curable. We need to destroy the mirror."

"What, _no!"_ Kit grabbed their arm. "You _can't_ , if there's even a _chance_ that this mirror will help us save Tamlen―"

"Kit." Merle gently extracted their arm. "If there was any chance of saving Tamlen, I would take it, you _know_ I would. This mirror won't help anyone, it'll only keep hurting until we destroy it."

Kit scrunched up their face, sucked in a ragged breath. "Creators, this isn't fair."

"I'm sorry." Merle gripped the dagger tighter. "But the longer we wait, the more danger there is, and Merrill could still get tainted."

Kit nodded. "Yeah, ok," they said, and in one fluid motion, they pulled the daggers from their back and stabbed them into the mirror. There was a cracking noise, and then blinding light flooded their senses, sucking the sound with it. For a brief moment, there was only a quiet ringing. Then, it was gone, the mirror stood empty, and Kit could hear the sounds of their breathing again. "So that's that," they said, letting their daggers fall to their side.

Merle moved beside them, put a hand on their shoulder. "You don't look good."

Kit cleared their throat. "I'm fine," they said, then coughed into their shoulder.

"We should get back to the Keeper," Merrill said, "she can heal them again―"

"No." Merle gently pried Kit's daggers from their hands, sheathing them. "I told you, it's uncurable."

Merrill's eyes widened. "They're going to..."

_Die._ The word hung unspoken between them. Merle shook their head. "There is one thing. It's not a cure, exactly, but if they survive it, they'll live."

"Do it," Kit said. "Whatever it is, I can take it."

"You might die anyway," Merle warned. "Many Grey Wardens die during the joining." They glanced at Merrill. "Uh, don't tell anyone that."

Merrill nodded, jaw clenched.

"You're going to make me a Grey Warden?" Kit asked. "That's... huh."

"If it's what you want, yes."

"Well I don't want to _die,"_ Kit said. They wiped their sweaty hands on their shirt. "But I get it, this is a big deal for you. Is there like a pledge or something? I solemnly swear I'll serve the Grey Wardens with my life?"

Merle shook their head. "Not really, but that's the general idea." They glanced to the side of the room, noticing for the first time the huddled form lying in the rubble. "Is that the beast that attacked you?"

Kit nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

Merle strode over to it, crouched beside the corpse. "Darkspawn." They glanced up at Merrill. "Would you mind... leaving us? Only Grey Wardens should see the Joining."

Merrill sighed. "Alright, but I'm standing right outside the door, if I hear anything weird I'm coming right back in, okay?"

Merle nodded. They waited until Merrill had closed the door behind her, then pulled their staff from their back, and thrust it in the air. There was a flash of blue light, and a silver cup appeared, and fell into Merle's outstretched hand. They bent over the corpse, and waved their staff above it. A stream of blood began to float from the corpse into the cup.

"Urgh," Kit said, wrinkling their nose. "Am I gonna have to drink that? That's disgusting."

Merle straightened, and the blood stopped. They shot Kit a wry smile. "We don't do it for fun." Merle retrieved a small vial of lyrium from their pocket, and poured it into the cup. They gestured at Kit. "You should sit." Kit nodded, and eased themself onto the stone floor with a small sigh, hunching over their crossed legs. Their face was pale, and Merle swallowed, looking down at the cup. They cleared their throat, mentally running through the words that had been spoken at their own Joining. Looking down at Kit's hunched form, the words seemed increasingly morbid.

"Join us..." _Brothers and sisters? Uh..._ "...Kit," Merle said. "Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that can not be forsworn." _Not that we want to forswear anything right now._  "And should you perish," _you won't,_ "know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall join you." _Not yet._ Merle passed them the cup, and Kit took it, eyeing it apprehensively for a moment before tipping it back, swallowing hard. They lowered the cup, and Merle took it from them. In seconds, their body began to shake, shuddering movements that set Merle's teeth on edge. _Creators, let this work._ Kit heaved forward, then looked straight at Merle, their eyes misted over with white. Then, they let out a cry of pain, and slumped against the stone floor, motionless.

"Merle?" Merrill's voice came from outside the door. "What's happening?"

Merle crouched down, rested a hand on Kit's neck, felt for a pulse. "Yes," they murmured, a smile pushing its way across their face. "Kit's going to be ok!" Merle exclaimed. 

The door opened slowly, and Merle quickly made the cup vanish. Merrill walked forward, knelt on the floor. "It worked?" she asked, resting a hand on Kit's arm.

Merle nodded. "They're going to live."

"Thank the Creators," Merrill smiled. "We've lost enough."

Kit groaned, shifting slightly, then opened their eyes, and looked blearily at Merle. "Did it work?"

"It worked," Merle said. They took Kit's arm, and helped them sit up.

Kit rubbed their head. "I saw something weird... with huge wings. It looked right at me, like it could _see_ me."

"You'll have weird dreams for a bit," Merle said. "We can talk about it later. For right now... We should report back to Orlais as soon as I'm finished in Ferelden. Technically I'm allowed to perform the Joining, but all the same..." They shrugged.

"You're leaving for a while, then," Merrill said, looking at Kit.

"Probably for good," Merle said. "Give or take."

"I'll miss you," Merrill said.

Kit threw their arms around Merrill. "I'll miss you too."

Merle stood up, and waited as the other two followed suit. Kit cast one last glance at the empty mirror, raised a hand in farewell. "Bye, Tamlen," they whispered.

"We'll have a ceremony to remember him," Merrill promised.

Kit looked to Merle. "Can we stay for that?"

Merle nodded. "Of course."

They walked in silence through the ruins, past the statues and crumbling stone and into the forest. As the cave entrance disappeared behind trees and grass, Merrill cleared her throat. "Isn't there... something else Merle should know?"

Kit and Merle both turned toward her in one identical motion. "What?" Kit said.

Merrill tapped her staff.

Kit's face flushed. "Oh." They bit their lip. "It's not a big deal..."

"What isn't?" Merle asked. Kit ignored them.

"Remember what the Keeper said? You're going to Shemlen cities, where there's Templars, and weird laws," Merrill said. "Their kind would consider you an 'apostate'."

Merle's eyes widened. "You have magic?"

Kit made a face. "I would have told you, but―"

"It could have made trouble putting it in writing," Merle finished for them. "I understand."

"It's super cool, though," Kit said, grinning. "Merrill helped me figure out how to use it with my knives and stuff. And I don't like arrows much, but you wouldn't _believe_ how good a shot I can get with a precision spell."

"I'm glad it worked out for you," Merle said.

Kit scuffed their boot along the ground. "It'll be ok, right? They're not going to lock me up in a tower the moment we walk into a city?"

"They're not going to lock you up," Merle said. "We'll figure something out, I promise."


	2. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> what happens when they get back to orlais WELL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The wiki doesn't say who was the Orlesian Warden-Commander at 9:30 Dragon, so I just assumed Alisse-Fontaine would still be in charge by then (if Clarel was already in charge welp too bad, i haven't played Inquisition yet)
> 
> also Kit's pronouns are she/her for this bit

Warden-Commander Alisse-Fontaine leaned forward over her desk, arms crossed as she looked Kit up and down. "I know I said I trusted your judgement, but this, Merle? She's just a child."

Merle put a warning hand on Kit's shoulder as she stiffened. "She's a capable warrior, I promise."

"You know that's not all we look for in Wardens. How do I know she's not going to turn tail the first time she sees darkspawn? The first time she's confronted with something bigger than she is? What about in a year from now?"

Kit pushed past Merle, slammed her hands on the desk. "If you think I'm not good enough, why don't you fight me yourself and see what I'm made of!" she challenged.

"Kit," Merle hissed, eyes wide.

Fontaine looked up at Kit, a small smile creeping onto her face. "That won't be necessary," she said, sitting back in her chair. She reached into her desk, pulled out a sheet of paper. "She can stay, Maker knows you've already tainted her anyway." She dipped her quill into the inkwell on her desk, then looked up at Kit. "Be warned, however: we will not tolerate rash acts at the expense of your fellow Wardens. Make sure that your confidence is not arrogance."

"Uh..." Kit glanced at Merle, then back at Fontaine. "Yes, Warden-Commander, ser."

She waved a hand at them. "That will be all. Dismissed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fontaine like "ok so she goes by she or they, cool whatever but CAN SHE FIGHT"


End file.
